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1/2/24 Ripon Area Fire District Report to the Community

2 January 2024 News

During this past year, the Ripon Area Fire Department has seen many changes.  The firefighters, volunteers, and Fire Board members have all worked hard to assess the status of the Department, evaluate its need and make positive changes that have moved the Department forward in many ways.  The Department is proud to report out the many accomplishments made to date knowing the Department is serving the community well.  Some of those accomplishments include the following:

Administrative Duties

Inventory

  • Fire staff continue to update an accurate inventory for insurance purposes.
  • District has been presented with two Five-year capital improvement plans for equipment as well as vehicles. The approval is scheduled for the January 2024 meeting along with final review of the Strategic Plan.
  • A new accounting system has been installed including payroll and accounts payable.  A system of checks and balances has been instituted.

Inspections

  • Inspections have been improved by purchasing two new iPads for compatibility with the ESO software.
  • Inspections are being done twice yearly per State requirement.
  • All buildings are being inspected in coordination with property tax rolls.

Training

  • A State Certified Trainer has been identified to train firefighters beginning in 2024.
  • Any other staff members who wish to be certified are encouraged to do so.
  • Trainings are being tracked properly for State review.

Social Media/IT

  • Staff has created a new official Ripon Fire District Facebook page and now has access to the district’s webpage.
  • Loyality has been retained by the district to ensure the security of our IT systems.  

Personnel Management

  • All personnel files have been returned to the district. 
  • Each personnel file is complete with both W2s and I9s.  Several files on each individual are now housed in one file per person.  All files have been consolidated.
  • Command staff are following policy with interviewing and hiring.
  • We stand at 30 employees at this time.
  • Rejoined the Wisconsin Firefighters Association to ensure life-insurance is available to all firefighters.
  • Improved Communications between Firefighters, Command Staff and the Board
  • Identify new rising leadership

Equipment – Trucks

  • All equipment has been brought up to DOT standards.
  • All maintenance of vehicles has been complete including:
    • New batteries
    • CO2 fire extinguishers have been updated
  • All maintenance for vehicle work is correct according to State requirements.
  • All vehicles in the District’s possession are now registered with the State and Titles are correct in the District’s name.
  • All vehicles are now listed on insurance.

Safety

  • Fit testing for firefighters has been completed.
  • We are in the process of contracting for physicals.
  • As stated earlier all vehicles are now DOT certified, meeting safety standards.

Building Maintenance

  • All buildings are now insured.
  • The upstairs is an ongoing project.  Plans should be state certified and any work from now on will be listed in the budget.
  • Lights in the bay have been replaced.
  • All doors to the building have been repaired and secured.
  • A camera system has been installed on the exterior of the building for safety purposes.
  • Water inspection issues regarding backflow preventers to stop anything to go into the Ripon water system have been noted and repairs will begin shortly.

Finances

  • We continue to build internal controls in our finances.
  • New accounting software has been installed for both general ledger and payroll.
  • Horicon Bank has been instrumental in setting up secured access to District accounts.
  • The VPN with the City of Ripon has been discontinued, ensuring them of a secure accounting system.
  • Mail and deposits are a two-person system.
  • A standardized system for deposits has been determined and implemented.
  • All IT processes have been secured to ensure the integrity of response and record safety for the District.
  • A process for invoicing will be developed with the new accounting system.

At the same time, the Department continues its strategic planning with a goal of continued improvements.  We thank the many that have contributed to these recent accomplishments and upgrades.  We thank the community for their continued support.

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